On New Year’s Eve, “Removing Xi”? Beijing Officialdom Engages in Private Criticism of the Central Leadership, Calling Xi “All Bluster”

On New Year’s Eve, “Removing Xi”? Beijing Officialdom Engages in Private Criticism of the Central Leadership, Calling Xi “All Bluster”

[People News] This year’s Lunar New Year’s Eve in Beijing was said to be filled with suffocating tension. According to sources, the level of security in the capital has reached “a sentry every three steps, a guard every five.” Why? Because the Chinese term for New Year’s Eve, chuxi, sounds like “removing Xi.” It is said that the superstitious Xi Jinping has been gripped by extreme fear over this homonym.

Reportedly, in order to avoid the ominous implication, he not only moved the Spring Festival reception two days earlier, but there were even rumors that he and senior Party and government officials would be “evacuated” on New Year’s Eve itself. He is also said to have personally ordered that all Party and government cadres in Beijing were forbidden to take leave and must remain on overnight duty, standing guard for him alone.

Beijing is now reportedly filled with soldiers, police, security agents, and plainclothes officers posing as tourists. Even pedestrian overpasses, utility poles, and restrooms are said to be monitored, out of fear that someone might write anti-Xi slogans. Such extreme pressure has reportedly exhausted grassroots police and officials, generating widespread resentment.

Perhaps the most explosive episode was a pre-holiday post by Beijing rights activist Gao Yu, described as one of the most darkly humorous anecdotes of early 2026. Gao revealed that while Beijing police were monitoring rights defenders, officers from another district questioned those on duty: “Who exactly are you listening to?” Unexpectedly, the on-duty officer reportedly retorted, “We are the mill, we listen to the donkey.” When asked, “And who does the donkey listen to?” the answer came: “To the pig.” It is widely understood that the “pig” refers to Xi Jinping, who is privately nicknamed “Pig Head.” The coded phrase is said to be spreading among officials in the capital, reflecting deep dissatisfaction at the grassroots level.

Xi’s anxiety is reportedly rooted in recent upheavals: he has removed Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli in the military, leaving the armed forces demoralized; now he is said to have turned against his own close ally Wang Xiaohong. In recent days, rumors of Wang’s dismissal have circulated widely, suggesting instability within the internal security apparatus. This Spring Festival, it seems, has been anything but peaceful for “Xi the Supreme.”

Renowned legal scholar Professor Yuan Hongbing recently disclosed on a program that various “official whispers” unfavorable to Xi are circulating within Zhongnanhai. These murmurs reportedly reveal both anger among officials and the risk that Xi could face backlash from within the ranks of millions of cadres.

So-called “Beijing officialdom whispers” have long been seen as a barometer of the psychological state of CCP officials.

After Zhang Youxia’s purge, these private political discussions reportedly began to spiral out of control. Although authorities repeatedly warn against “improperly discussing the central leadership,” officials in Beijing appear increasingly less fearful.

According to Yuan Hongbing, private comments about Xi have grown particularly biting. Some reportedly quote property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang’s remark, calling Xi “a clown who insists on being emperor even when stripped naked.” Others allegedly say Xi only dares to “turn the blade inward” against his own people, but when facing external adversaries, he is nothing more than “all bluster,” a coward.

This dissatisfaction is said to be especially pronounced in the military. Some private commentary sarcastically notes that before any Taiwan Strait conflict even begins, Xi has already “eliminated” his own top generals—effectively helping the United States weaken the PLA. Others mock the frequent military aircraft and naval maneuvers around Taiwan as little more than “free acrobatic performances,” turning the PLA into an international laughingstock, even drawing comparisons to India’s military parade theatrics.

Tsai Cheng-yuan, once regarded as a model figure in the CCP’s united front work, has recently released a series of videos sharply criticizing Beijing’s Taiwan and foreign policies. He bluntly stated that Beijing “does not dare to use force against Taiwan” due to deep fear of the United States, and that military drills amount to “empty threats detached from reality.” He even described current Chinese diplomacy as being driven by “Boxer-style Red Guards,” a remark seen as directly embarrassing Xi.

Why are these figures suddenly shifting their tone? Yuan Hongbing suggests it reflects a deeper crisis: millions of CCP officials have come to see through Xi’s nature. The large-scale downfall of generals from the so-called “Xi family army” whom he personally promoted is seen as evidence that his 13 years of military management have failed. Many, it is said, now view him as little more than a “paper tiger”—outwardly fierce but inwardly weak.